In a warning to districts that want to backtrack on their Race to the Top promises, Education Secretary Arne Duncan is publicly supporting state officials in Delaware who plan to withhold $11 million from the Christina School District for reneging on school-turnaround plans. Duncan's statement issued this evening marks the first time he's had to take sides as 12 states and their participating districts work to implement the $4 billion in Race to the Top awards. "Because Christina has backtracked on that commitment, the state of Delaware has made the tough but courageous decision to withhold Race to The Top ...

When you think of school earthquake drills, you probably think California, not Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, and other places in the central United States. But those states, and others that lie along the New Madrid Seismic Zone, could feel the impact of a major earthquake sometime in the next 50 years, scientists project. So next week, schools and colleges in 11 states are going to hold what the two agencies say is the first-ever multi-state earthquake drill. And it's got a very catchy name: the "Great Central U.S. Shakeout." States on board are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, ...

The package cuts more than $1 billion from the U.S. Department of Education's budget along with a number of programs, while extending Race to the Top, and sheltering programs such as special education and Title I grants to districts.